{"id":8243,"date":"2025-03-30T22:35:12","date_gmt":"2025-03-31T02:35:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/recipephany.com\/?p=8243"},"modified":"2025-04-20T15:29:02","modified_gmt":"2025-04-20T19:29:02","slug":"spanish-almond-cake-for-passover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/recipephany.com\/?p=8243","title":{"rendered":"Spanish Almond Cake: The Passover Cake That Survived the Inquisition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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This flourless Spanish Almond Cake (Tarta de Santiago, or St. James\u2019 Cake) came to us from Recipephany\u2019s Senior Cookie Advisor, Joanne Hofmann Sexeny (see Pecan Praline Cookies<\/a>). Moist, sweet, light and fluffy, this simple cake tastes luxurious and looks elegant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s my best almond cake go-to,\u201d Joanne said, pointing us to the Tarta de Santiago recipe on Epicurious<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then out of the blue we got an email from Steve Granek, also a fan of the Epicurious<\/em> almond cake. He had stumbled onto Recipephany and suspected that the cake and its backstory would ring our chimes. Well, did it ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steve bakes the cake frequently, and in many variations\u2014with lemon and orange zest, only lemon zest, and with or without cinnamon. \u201cIt is very forgiving,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd it is, frankly, to die for.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Steve\u2019s an even bigger fan of the recipe\u2019s writer, Claudia Roden, award-winning cookbook author and cultural anthropologist. Roden revealed that the famous almond cake honoring St. James (Santiago), the patron saint of Spain, started out as a Jewish Passover cake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jewish roots<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cake is most famous in Spain’s northwestern region of Galicia, home of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, the holy destination of the Cami\u00f1o de Santiago. Pilgrims and hikers can stop for this iconic treat at bakeries and restaurants all along the trail. The dagger-like St. James\u2019 Cross outlined in powdered sugar makes it easy to spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the cake didn\u2019t always have a cross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the 11th<\/sup> Century, a community of Jews thrived in the Galician city of Coru\u00f1a. Later in the Middle Ages, Jews from the south of Spain fled persecution and found refuge in Coru\u00f1a. According to Roden, they brought this Passover cake with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Alhambra Decree of 1492<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this edict, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella gave Jews the choice: expulsion, conversion to Catholicism, or death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But those converted (called conversos<\/em>) who kept their Kosher diets and traditional foods could still face death. The Inquisition used food as a tool to weed them out. For instance, eating ham in public became a test to see if a Jew had truly converted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So the Spanish Almond Cake chose conversion. And fortunately, it also appealed to Christians. Rebranded with St. James\u2019 cross, it became totally safe for Jews\u2014and everyone\u2014to eat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An ecumenical choice<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think of this cake as a happy fusion of cultures. Now everybody can enjoy it. Except, sadly, those who can\u2019t eat nuts or eggs. We\u2019ll be on the lookout for a cake for them.<\/p>\n\n\n

Spanish Almond Cake (Tarta de Santiago, or St. James\u2019 Cake)<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Adapted from Claudia Roden\u2019s<\/em> Food of Spain with help from Joanne Hofmann Sexeny<\/em><\/p>\n

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Special equipment: 9\u201d springform pan<\/p>\n